Democrat mayors in sanctuary cities have been playing games with immigration enforcement for years.
One Florida official just drew a line in the sand they can't cross.
And Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier just dropped the hammer on this Democrat mayor with one criminal subpoena.
Jacksonville City Employee Filmed Warning Video From Government Office
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced Monday that the Office of Statewide Prosecution issued a criminal subpoena to Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan's administration following a city employee's public campaign to obstruct federal immigration enforcement.
The subpoena targeted Hispanic Outreach Coordinator Yanira Cardona, whose Instagram video warning followers about Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations sparked an investigation into whether Deegan's administration coordinated efforts to shield criminal aliens from deportation.
"If there's evidence that her administration coordinated to impede immigration enforcement and harbor criminal aliens, we will hold them accountable," Uthmeier posted on X.
https://twitter.com/AGJamesUthmeier/status/2020870918277374380?s=20
Cardona filmed a live video on Instagram from her city office during work hours warning followers about ICE operations in Jacksonville.
She described federal immigration enforcement as harassment and instructed immigrants to stock up on legal resources, grant power of attorney to trusted contacts, and only cooperate with law enforcement if directly confronted.
The subpoena demands Jacksonville produce all records related to Cardona's communications between January 2 and January 16, including emails, phone logs, text messages, social media communications, and any personal devices used for official city business.
Uthmeier's office is looking for evidence Cardona or other city officials worked with outside groups to obstruct federal immigration enforcement.
The subpoena specifically requests communications containing words like "Nazi," "Gestapo," "stormtrooper," and "terrorize" — language anti-enforcement activists commonly use to describe ICE operations.
State Officials Reject Mayor's Claim Nothing Wrong Happened
At Monday's press conference, Uthmeier addressed the situation directly.
"We have a situation here where a city official was out there publicly alerting people to ICE locations, interfering with immigration enforcement efforts," Uthmeier stated. "This is the state of Florida. It's not Minnesota."
The Attorney General emphasized that Florida law requires local officials to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
"We anticipated a special session last year under the leadership of the governor, where we made clear that local officials do not have discretion when it comes to immigration enforcement," Uthmeier explained. "There is an obligation to use best efforts to help the federal government carry out their law enforcement efforts. We're a rule of law state. We believe in that."
https://twitter.com/JamesUthmeierFL/status/2020980165862621687?s=20
Uthmeier rejected Mayor Deegan's claims that no wrongdoing occurred.
"The mayor said nothing wrong happened here; we disagree with that," Uthmeier stated. "If there's evidence of a coordinated effort for this city official to work with other city employees or outside organizations to try to thwart our efforts to enforce the law, we will hold these wrongdoers accountable."
Governor Ron DeSantis backed up the Attorney General's investigation.
"Florida law is clear that local officials must cooperate with federal law enforcement re: illegal immigration," DeSantis said. "This isn't Minnesota."
The Jacksonville Young Republicans applauded Uthmeier's decision to investigate the Deegan administration.
"The administration will undoubtedly protest this, but they have no one to blame but themselves," the group said. "Citizens expect full transparency in government operations, and this is certainly no exception-especially when it comes to following the law."
The City of Jacksonville has until February 20 to produce the requested documents.
https://twitter.com/GovRonDeSantis/status/2020886338623701448?s=20
Democrat Mayor Claims Investigation Is Political Fishing Expedition
Mayor Deegan fired back with a lengthy statement condemning the subpoena as an election-year stunt.
"Instead of addressing the pocketbook concerns of Floridians — including property insurance, housing costs, and healthcare — the Attorney General is once again on a hyper-partisan fishing expedition as we enter election season," Deegan's office claimed.
The Mayor's statement insisted the city would "fully cooperate" with the subpoena and expressed confidence "that a review of the facts will show the administration acted lawfully, as we always do."
Deegan tried to distance herself from immigration enforcement, claiming "the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office has a duly elected Sheriff and maintains the sole responsibility for coordination and interaction with state and federal immigration agencies."
https://twitter.com/JakeStofan/status/2020924670984196105?s=20
But that statement misses Uthmeier's point entirely.
The Attorney General isn't investigating whether the Sheriff's Office failed to cooperate with ICE — he's probing whether Deegan's administration actively coordinated to obstruct federal immigration enforcement.
Florida passed legislation last year creating a $250 million grant program for local law enforcement agencies to assist federal immigration enforcement efforts.
The law makes clear that local officials don't have discretion when it comes to immigration enforcement — they're required to use their best efforts to help federal authorities carry out the law.
Uthmeier suggested the investigation could expand beyond state charges.
He floated the possibility of "federal angles" in the probe, specifically mentioning the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, though he stopped short of confirming any federal involvement.
https://twitter.com/JeremyRedfernFL/status/2020965132730499378?s=20
Cardona was placed on administrative leave after the video surfaced but has since returned to work while the investigation continues.
Democrat mayors across the country have spent years using taxpayer resources to shield criminal illegal aliens from deportation while crying about lack of resources for their own citizens.
Florida's making clear those games don't work in the Sunshine State.
If evidence shows Deegan's administration coordinated with outside groups to obstruct immigration enforcement, she won't be the last Democrat mayor facing criminal charges for putting illegal aliens ahead of the law.
Sources:
- Michelle Vecerina, "Florida attorney general issues criminal subpoena after Jacksonville official's immigration comments," Florida Politics, February 9, 2026.
- A.G. Gancarski, "Donna Deegan slams James Uthmeier 'fishing expedition' into Jacksonville's approach to illegal immigration," Florida Politics, February 9, 2026.
- Mike Mendenhall, "State subpoenas Jacksonville over immigration enforcement," Jacksonville Today, February 9, 2026.
